


Serving Up The Bigger Fish

by afteriwake



Series: Where The Wild Ones Are [3]
Category: Sherlock (TV), St Trinian's (2007 2009)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-18
Updated: 2012-12-18
Packaged: 2017-11-21 10:57:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/596946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Annabelle’s step-brother John has a very infamous, very tenacious consulting detective friend named Sherlock who is fast on Flash Harry’s trail. So what else are Annabelle and Kelly to do but dangle a bigger fish in his view?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aaronlisa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaronlisa/gifts).



> So the second prompt my friend **aaronlisa** gave me that caught my eye was for a St. Trinian’s/Sherlock crossover (“John is actually quite familiar with the Frittons,” with the added note “This last one might be cracky but I dare you to write it and somehow have Sherlock being all aghast at all of the potential criminal masterminds at the school”…I was never one to resist a crossover dare). I decided to make this one multipart, but it’ll still be on the short side. I think John and Sherlock might pop up in this series from time to time…

It had been about a month since Annabelle had become headmistress of St. Trinian’s. For the most part the girls accepted her as such, and while she was still getting used to things a few things had improved since Camilla’s term. For starters there had been no worries about money; Kelly had used her resources at MI6 to make even the most reluctant parents pay their daughters tuition in full by the second week of term. There was no one threatening to come take the building from them this year, and that most likely would not be a problem in the foreseeable future. Also, there were a few rules that Annabelle had imposed and a few she had rescinded that made things easier for everyone. The older students were given more freedoms and the first years were under a tighter leash. It made the situation better for everyone.

But right now Annabelle had a problem, and she was poring over the call she had received with a frown. She had called Kelly in and had just finished relaying it to her. “Let me get this straight,” Kelly said slowly. “That famous blogger, John Watson, is your step-brother?”

Annabelle nodded slowly. “My father was briefly married to his and his sister’s mother, right after my mother died. That was typical of my father; he didn’t want to take care of me at all if he could help it. John was already in university and Harry was a right handful at that point, being a rebellious teenager. It became fairly obvious after three years that it was a mistake, so they divorced. John felt some attachment towards me, though, so he and I have stayed in contact throughout the years. And he’s coming _here_ with Sherlock Holmes.”

“Can’t you get him to put off?” Kelly asked, beginning to pace.

“I can’t. His friend is on a case and it involves Flash Harry, and he’s discovered the connection between our school and him.” Annabelle made a fist. “I know my aunt always turned a blind eye to all that, and I have too so far, because not _everything_ Flash Harry does is illegal, but if Sherlock Holmes gets his grip on him the whole operation may go belly up.”

“I’m more worried about who the girls will go after if Flash Harry is out of the picture,” Kelly said with a frown. “I mean, he’s relatively harmless. Who knows who the girls will pick if he isn’t around.”

“Oh, God, I hadn’t even thought about that. Knowing some of those girls we might end up having the Russian mafia on our hands.” Annabelle put her elbows on her desk and put her head in her hands. “What are we going to do, Kelly?”

“Let me think for a moment,” Kelly said, continuing to pace. “Why was your step-brother giving you the warning?”

She lifted her head up. “He and Camilla got on well, the first time they met. I guess they’d continued correspondence through the years. He might not like the idea of a criminal empire being run out of the school, but he saw the logic behind it, knowing if the girls were at least protected in some measure they would be safer. I guess when my aunt died there was a letter for him as well, asking him to help look after his littlest sister as best he could.”

“Why did his friend have to be Sherlock Holmes?” Kelly said with a sigh. “The man is tenacious. He’s legendary, even in MI6, just like his brother. I mean, for Christ’s sake, his brother is one of the people I’ve had to answer to! If there’s anything a Holmes is, it’s a big pain in the arse.”

“Could you appeal to his brother to intercede?” Annabelle asked hopefully.

“It’s no use. If Mycroft tells his brother not to do something Sherlock will do it just to spite him. That’s the type of relationship they have. Have you thought about asking John to dissuade him?”

“I don’t think it will work. I sincerely doubt as close as they are John has that kind of sway over him. I mean, John has a way with words, but if Sherlock is as tenacious as you say…”

“You’re right.” Kelly moved over to the chair and sat down, balancing an elbow on each knee and resting her head on her knuckles. “All right. We know Sherlock Holmes knows about Flash Harry, and he knows about what Flash Harry does for this school. I doubt he would be susceptible to bribes or feminine wiles.” Kelly shut her eyes and was quiet for a moment, and then her eyes popped open wide. “We just need to find a bigger fish to toss to Sherlock Holmes, someone higher up on the food chain that will make Flash Harry look like the small fish in a big pond instead of the other way around.”

“That’s brilliant!” Annabelle said, beaming at her girlfriend. “Who can we go after?”

“Give me some time. I’ll find someone we can take out that won’t endanger our operation.” She looked at Annabelle. “How long do we have?”

“Three days,” Annabelle said. “John’s trying to hold him off longer, but he’s afraid Sherlock will get suspicious. John is trying very hard at the moment to convince him not to bring along the Detective Inspector that he solves cases for.”

“We can only pray your step-brother is successful,” Kelly murmured. “Give me some time. I need to go corner Flash Harry and see what I can shake out of him.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Annabelle asked curiously.

“He’s always had a thing for me,” Kelly said with a slightly wicked grin. “I’m about to make his dream come true. I’ll go on a date with him.”

“Normally I would call that cheating but if that’s what it takes…” Annabelle said with a sigh.

Kelly came over to her, planted a hand on either side of Annabelle’s face and gave her a soft but lingering kiss. “He doesn’t know we’re together. No one does. If I can pull this off it will be worth it.”

“All right,” Annabelle said dubiously.

“Besides, if he tries to go past first base I’ll just break his nose, followed by his fingers.” She gave Annabelle a wide smile. “Trust me, Belle. I’ll have your information by midnight tonight.”

“Okay,” Annabelle said.

Kelly gave her another kiss, a quicker one this time, and then she went out the door. Annabelle watched, and then turned to look out the window. She hoped this didn’t blow up in their faces. She would just have to trust Kelly and pray for the best. If Kelly’s scheme to steal the painting all those years ago had worked, so would this one. It _had_ to.


	2. Chapter 2

Flash Harry was nervous, probably more nervous than he’d ever been in his life. I mean, this was Kelly Jones, sex on legs, he thought to himself. She’d been gone six years but she looked better than ever now. She wore a skimpy red dress with a thigh high slit, and he would have stared but he knew she’d kill him if he looked too long at the wrong place. He’d heard she was on leave from the government, though he didn’t know what was fact and what was rumor from the girls. But knowing Kelly, he was betting it was truth.

“So,” he said, running his finger around the collar of his shirt.

“I thought we could catch up,” Kelly said with a smile. “I’m very interested to know just how business has been going for you lately.”

“Good, good, business is good. Of course it gets slow when the girls aren’t around. I have to rely on other sources for goods. In the last month business has picked up.” He reached for his water and nearly knocked it over, and quickly used his other hand to steady it.

“How about the people you sell to?” she asked, leaning forward. Her dress was rather low cut, and he swallowed thickly as he got a clear view down the front. He braced his hands on the table. “Anybody you should worry about?”

“No, no, I can handle it,” he said, shaking his head.

“There must be somebody,” she said, her voice low like a purr. She reached over and put a hand over his and all he could do was stare at it. Kelly Jones was willingly touching him. He must have died and gone to Heaven.

He thought for a moment, watching as she traced a pattern on his hand with her finger. “One of my buyers is trying to cut me out,” he said. “He wants me to get him things I don’t touch, like drugs. I mean, I’m a small time guy. I know if you go for the big stuff you get caught faster. I may be a bit daft but I’m not _that_ stupid. I have a good thing going with the girls, and Annabelle’s holding to the same agreements as Camilla, so I don’t want to jeopardize it, you know?”

“What’s his name?” she asked.

“Milton. Milton Rogers. He’s trying to be this high and mighty crime lord. He’s already got his fingers in a few things I won’t touch.”

“Such as?” she asked.

“Girls. Don’t know where he gets them or sends them, but I’ve noticed he’s eyed some of the older girls when they leave the school, like he’d like to recruit them, and I know you or Annabelle wouldn’t be up for any of that.” He was watching her and saw her tense at the mention that the guy might recruit her girls, like she took it as a personal affront, but then she relaxed and smiled brightly at him. “And like I said before, drugs. Not just the occasional recreational stuff, but the harder stuff, the stuff that really messes you up.”

She nodded. “Once again, you’ve reminded me why we continue to associate with you.” She removed her hand from his and picked up her glass. “A toast. To a long lasting partnership.”

He picked up his glass of water and tapped it against hers. “To us.”

She smiled and sipped her water. “Now then. What else should we talk about?”

\--

Annabelle was in the office going through bills and correspondence. She glanced at the clock and saw it was eight thirty. Kelly had said she’d be back by nine thirty, and she was getting anxious. If Kelly hadn’t gotten a name she didn’t know what she would do.

Her cell phone rang and it startled her. She recognized after a few seconds it was the ringtone she had specifically for John. She picked up another moment later. “Hello, John,” she said.

“Sherlock wants to leave tonight to get there tomorrow,” he said.

“You told me I had three days!” she said, her eyes going wide and her voice rising in pitch.

“He’s getting impatient,” John said. “I can maybe hold him off till the morning, but like it or not Annabelle he’s coming tomorrow.”

“No, no, no,” she muttered, getting up from behind the desk and beginning to pace. “Kelly’s trying to get the name of someone more enticing than Flash Harry right now, and then we have to use her contacts at MI6 to get all the dirt on him.”

“Well, I might be able to push him off until tomorrow afternoon,” John said. “If I were you I’d let those first year hellions loose on him. It might buy you another hour.”

“Yes, but you’ll be coming with him and I don’t want anything to happen to _you_ ,” she said, biting her lip slightly when she was done.

“Look, I can handle them. What’s the worst they can do?”

“Trust me, you _don’t_ want to know,” she said with a groan. “The twins are having a really rough time with this crowd. Sometimes they listen to orders, but most of the time they do whatever they damn well please. The last time we had a visitor it was near anarchy in the halls, and that visitor was Geoffrey. He’s supposed to be allowed to come here completely unmolested, out of respect to Camilla.”

“Well, let them do their worst. Sherlock and I can handle it.”

“No, John, I won’t risk it. I don’t care a bit about your friend but you’re my brother. I’m not going to put you in harm’s way.” She sighed and stopped pacing, instead leaning against the edge of her desk. “I guess we’ll just have to stay up tonight and do as much as we can do. I pray to God Kelly got a name. If she wore that red dress she picked up in Spain he should be telling her everything including all the intimate details of his childhood.”

John chuckled. “You picked a good one this time, Annabelle. I like Kelly. I think she’ll do you more good than you expect.”

“Doesn’t it strike you as strange that all the children in our messed up family are attracted to women?” she asked, relaxing a bit.

“Yes, well, your taste is better than mine or Harry’s, and you didn’t have Sherlock mucking up every relationship you were in.”

“Speaking of relationships, how are things with Mary?”

“Still slow. But she’s been more accepting of Sherlock and his quirks since they seemed to have tempered since his return. It makes for a nice change, unless he’s got his teeth sunk into a case. Then it’s a one-track mind focused solely on the case with no regard for things such as my personal life. In fact, Mary and I were supposed to go out to dinner tomorrow but Sherlock’s pretty much ruined that.”

“Sorry to sound vulgar, but he sounds like such a cockblock,” Annabelle said with a slight chuckle.

“Oh, trust me, he used to be a million times worse. At least I _get_ time alone with Mary without him demanding all my attention.”

“Lucky you, then. At least you aren’t hiding things from your students.”

“I think if your students knew about you and Kelly they’d be thrilled. You two are legends at that school.”

“Yeah, but their parents might not be as pleased,” she said with a sigh. “And I can’t trust any of the younger hellions to keep their mouths shut. Having responsibility like this is such a burden sometimes.”

“Welcome to the real world, Lovebug,” John said with a chuckle.

“I thought we agreed you weren’t going to call me that anymore,” she said, though she was smiling as she said it.

“Once or twice for old time’s sake won’t hurt you too much,” he said. “I promise I won’t use it around Kelly or your students.”

“You had best not, or I’ll have to drag out my affectionate nickname for _you_. I don’t think you want me using that around your friend.”

“God no. He’d never let me hear the end of it.” There was a sound on his end and he paused. “I have to go. If I have any chance in talking him out of leaving right now, I have to go talk to him now. Maybe I can find some sleeping pills to put in his drink.”

“You go do that, John,” she said. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” he replied and then he hung up. Annabelle looked at her phone and debating calling Kelly. She thought about it for a few minutes, then pulled up her text messaging instead. _Get a name yet?_ she texted.

It took a few minutes to get a reply, but then her phone beeped. _Yes. Why?_

 _Sherlock will be here tomorrow,_ Annabelle texted back.

This reply was shorter and thus came faster. _Damn._

_Exactly. John’s trying to stall, so we may have till the evening._

_Guess I’m ending my date now. See you soon, love._

Annabelle set her phone on the desk and then began to rub her temples. Tonight was going to be a _very_ long night…


	3. Chapter 3

Sherlock Holmes looked out of the window of the cab, bored. He detested the country and tried to have as little to do with it as possible, but there was a man out here in this part of the world who had the information he needed and come hell or high water he was going to get it, and have him taken in on charges to boot. He was a petty lowlife, but the world would be better if Flash Harry was behind bars.

What he didn’t understand was why John was fighting him so much on this. John had even gone as far as slipping a sedative into his drink the night before, causing them to depart late in the morning. John should have been just as eager to solve this case but something was off. Something was different about this one, and he couldn’t put his finger on it. The only clue had been when he checked John’s recent calls and saw two calls to a person listed as Lovebug on his phone, both with a prefix for this particular place in the country. John was hiding something, but he wouldn’t be for long.

The cab suddenly stopped outside a stone gate. “Is this St. Trinian’s?” Sherlock asked.

“This is as close to the school as we go. We like our cabs and our hides more than we want your money. It’s about a half mile down that way,” the driver said, pointing to the driveway.

Sherlock scowled. “They’re just girls,” he said.

“They’re the devil’s spawn, they are,” the driver said, shaking his head.

Sherlock began to argue but John shook his head and leaned forward to pay the driver. “No use in arguing Sherlock. We have to get out and walk.”

Sherlock narrowed his gaze at his friend. “You’ve been here before,” he said.

“More times than you, so I know the drill,” he said. The driver gave him his change and John pocketed it. “Get out now before you change your mind.”

John and Sherlock got out of the cab and Sherlock turned his collar up. John had offered to grab an umbrella for him but he’d refused, and John was apparently going to let him suffer in the rain as he opened up the umbrella over his head and began to walk. Sherlock followed. “Who is Lovebug?” he asked as they got on the gravel driveway.

“You snooped on my phone,” John said with a sigh. “Lovebug is my stepsister Annabelle. Well former stepsister, I suppose. Her father and my mother divorced nearly eighteen years ago. But I love her just like a sister, and she loves me like a brother. I’m honestly the only family she has left now since her father is a sodding bastard and her aunt died a few months back, and she and Harry aren’t particularly close.”

“Annabelle Fritton is your stepsister?” Sherlock asked, surprised.

John nodded. “Yes. I’ve known her since she was nine months old. Her first word was Jaw-Jaw. I taught her how to walk, how to run, how to ride a bike…all the stuff big brothers are supposed to do. I felt I’d screwed it all up with Harry so Annabelle was a second chance to get things right.”

Sherlock stopped. “So you knew all about Flash Harry and the illegal activities and the connection to this boarding school?”

“Yup,” John said with another nod. “Knew all about it, followed in the Fritton tradition of turning a blind eye.”

“Unbelievable,” Sherlock murmured. Apparently there really were things he didn’t know about his best friend.

John turned to him. “Look, Sherlock, let me explain it to you. The girls here? They’re the worst of the worst according to every school official in the whole of England. Everyone writes these girls off. But the lot of them, they’re smart. Crafty. Keen on making avenues for themselves to maybe get something better. God knows there’s an education the girls receive, but it’s nothing like the one you and I went through. These girls can either have brilliant futures in some field where education isn’t the highest priority, where they can rely on the unique skill sets they’ve honed here, or they can become the next Jim Moriarty.”

Sherlock’s jaw was hanging slightly, but he closed it after a moment. “All the more reason to have Flash Harry brought up on charges.”

“You don’t get it. He protects the girls, just like Camilla did, just like Annabelle does. He’s a small pawn in the larger picture. There’s probably some bootlegging going on, and maybe some illegal betting for both students and teachers, but he won’t let the girls do anything that would cause serious trouble. His livelihood depends on what the girls can offer. You take him away, they’re going to go to someone who isn’t going to care about them. Flash Harry might deny it, but he loves these girls as much as the Frittons do.”

Sherlock looked at his friend. “I don’t know you at all, do I?”

“You just assumed Harry was the only family important to me. I have this whole other side of my life that you knew nothing about, and I’d wanted to _keep_ it that way so you wouldn’t…” he waved his hand slightly. “Meddle. I knew all about this school and the way it works and it goes against everything you stand for. So yeah, on this thing I’m going to fight you tooth and nail. If it ruins our friendship, fine, but Annabelle is family and family comes first.”

“She’s not even really your sister!” Sherlock said, throwing his hands up in the air.

John had dropped the umbrella and taken the two steps to close the gap between them, and his fists were grabbing his coat and pulling him close before Sherlock could even register. “Damnit, Sherlock, she’s my sister whether our parents are still married or not. She’s more legitimately family to me than you are, and I consider you part of my family too. Get that through your thick skull, all right?” Sherlock looked at him, clearly stunned and at a loss for words. They stood there for a moment before they heard the cackle of a walkie-talkie. “Hey, you there!” he said, letting go of Sherlock and walking up to the tree.

“Yeah?” a girl’s voice said from the treetop.

“You heard this conversation, right? About how Annabelle is my sister?”

“Yeah,” the girl said slowly.

“Keep the demonic first years out of our hair as we make our way up to the school,” he said.

“We have orders not to hurt you, from Miss Jones and Miss Fritton,” she said. “But just you. Your friend’s fair game. He wants to take Flash Harry away and we’re going to stop him.”

John looked at the girl, then at Sherlock, and then he stalked over and picked up his umbrella. “Carry on then,” he said as he brought the umbrella over his head and began walking down the path.

“John!” Sherlock called out to him, but John ignored him and kept walking. He made his way up to the tree and looked at the girl. “Are you a first year?” he asked her.

“Yeah,” she said, nodding slowly.

“What are your plans for me?” he asked.

“Glue and feathers to put on top of your coat and hair, then week old smelly garbage on top of that, and then there’s the paintball guns.” She looked down at him. “We don’t like you, Mr. Pain-In-The-Arse Holmes.”

Sherlock squared his shoulders. “I would like to see you lot try all of that.”

The girl gave him a smug look. “Is that a threat?”

“It’s a promise,” Sherlock said.

“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” she said with a chuckle. “If you hadn’t angered Mr. Watson we were going to let you go by unscathed. But he’s Miss Fritton’s brother, and all the other girls like him, and you made him angry, and that just makes us dislike you _more_. So go ahead. I double dog dare you to get to the school without a mark on you.”

“Fine, you impertinent little brat,” he said, and he moved away from the tree and began walking after John.

The girl put the walkie-talkie to her mouth. “Give him hell, girls!” And with that she grabbed her paintball gun and shimmied down the tree, eager to take part in the fun that was to follow.


	4. Chapter 4

John had made it safely to Annabelle’s office and was enjoying a cup of tea with his step-sister and Kelly when the door to the office slammed open. The three of them stared at a disheveled and disgruntled Sherlock, who was, indeed, covered in glue and feathers and garbage and at least a hundred paint splatters of glaring neon colors. “Well, I see you found my office just fine,” Annabelle said, raising an eyebrow before taking a sip of her tea. She could see in the corner of her eye that John was trying not to smirk and if she looked at either him or Kelly she would collapse into giggles.

“Those…girls…” he said through gritted teeth.

“First years,” Kelly said. “Best defense we have for unwanted visitors.”

“I should have them all brought up on charges. And you as well. What kind of headmistress are you?” Sherlock said, stalking to her desk and planting both his hands on her desk.

“I’m the one that knows what’s in the best interest for these girls,” Annabelle said, her voice steely. “And taking Flash Harry away is _not_ in their best interest.” She set her cup down and used her hands to push Sherlock’s hands off her desk. “You’re getting my correspondence covered in grime.”

He faltered a bit, then turned to John. “You _let_ them do this to me,” he said.

“Personally I think you deserve worse,” John said before calmly taking a sip of his tea. “As I told you, I’m on Annabelle’s side here. Flash Harry needs to stay here for everyone’s safety.”

Sherlock looked at Kelly, who raised her tea cup in front of her face. “Don’t look at me for any support. I’m with them.”

Sherlock turned back to Annabelle. “I’m charging you for the costs to replace this clothing.”

“That’s fine,” she said with a nod. “I’ll pay you when you decide to leave Flash Harry alone.”

Sherlock shook his head. “Do you not all see that he’s a criminal? He needs to be behind bars!”

“For what?” Kelly asked, setting her saucer and cup down on Annabelle’s desk. “For selling the vodka the girls make? Or placing some bets on the horses for the people here? What has he done that’s worse than prostitution, sex slavery and the drug trade?”

“Sherlock’s head whipped around to Kelly. “Excuse me?”

Kelly picked up a red file from Annabelle’s desk and held it out to him. “This guy is far worse. Go after him. Do us a favor and keep our girls safe from this bloody wanker.”

Sherlock took the file and then flipped through it. “You have surveillance, names, dates.”

Kelly crossed her arms. “I work for MI6, mate. Getting that stuff was a piece of cake. MI6 doesn’t consider him a threat but getting someone to dig all that up was easy. So we want to do a trade. You get whatever information you need from Flash Harry about your case, ignore having him brought up on charges and then you get to take down yet another criminal network. Maybe not as vast as Moriarty’s, but it’ll do just as well in the long run.”

“And to add to this, if you try and arrest Flash Harry I’ll move out,” John said. “Annabelle has offered me a job here as the school nurse, should I be so inclined.”

Sherlock looked up from the file to John. “You’re serious,” he murmured after he looked at his friend for a moment.

“Very,” John said with a nod. “I will not willingly let you do something that will make the girls at this school less safe. If you do it there will be consequences.”

“So I see where I rank in your worldview,”” Sherlock said, looking down at the file. “Was the bit about considering me family all a lie?”

“Is he seriously going to pout?” Kelly asked, raising an eyebrow as she turned to Annabelle.

“I believe so,” Annabelle said, her eyes wide.

“Oh, come off it, Sherlock,” John said, rolling his eyes. “I spent three years looking for any trace of your existence, on the off chance I got that miracle. You heard Molly tell you how hellish it was the first few months. Annabelle knows too. She’d get phone calls at two in the morning which were basically me sobbing into the phone while she tried to reassure me there was hope. The only reason I’m making this stand is because you’re asking me to do something that I know is wrong even though morally it’s the right thing to do, and it will put other members of my family at risk. I care about you, you’re my best mate, but if you force me to choose Annabelle and the girls here are going to win out.”

“Shades of grey,” he said.

“Exactly. So agree to their deal. Get a more vile criminal off the streets and leave Flash Harry alone.” John looked at him. “All right?”

Sherlock looked up from the file at John, then Annabelle and Kelly. “Will I never have to set foot in this God forsaken school again?” he asked the women.

“Only unless John forces you to, and I promise next time you’ll come through unscathed and unharmed,” Annabelle said. She extended her hand. “Is it a deal?” Sherlock extended his grime and paint covered hand. Annabelle shook it firmly, and when they pulled their hands apart she began looking for something to wipe her hands on. “I’ve told the Geeks to disable the cameras in the showers, and Geoffrey has left some clothing here for when he visits. I’m sure we can find something that fits. You may personally send me the bill for replacing your suit, scarf and jacket.”

“Very well,” Sherlock said with a nod. “Are you sure I will be unmolested as I clean up?”

“I’ll keep guard outside the door myself,” John said.

“And I’ll personally pull the remote cameras out of their hiding places before you get in,” Kelly said. “Come on, I’ll get you a towel and things to clean yourself up with.” She walked around to the door and the two men followed. When they got to the stairs Sherlock glanced up and saw what seemed like a hundred girls lining the bannisters. “It’s all right, girls,” Kelly said loudly. “Mr. Holmes will not be taking Flash Harry away from us.”

The cheer was nearly deafening, and it continued even after Kelly, Sherlock and John continued their way down the hall. By the time they got to Kelly’s room it has a muted sound. Kelly dashed in and grabbed a towel and toiletries, handing them to Sherlock before leading the way into the bathrooms. She looked around and disconnected a camera that was mounted on the wall. “And I shall have privacy?” Sherlock asked.

“Complete privacy,” Kelly said with a nod. “Enjoy your shower.” She left the shower, gave a wave to John and then very quickly made her way up to Annabelle’s office. Annabelle had the computer on and was looking at a live feed from the showers. “You’re sure it’s not going on the internet?” she asked as she came over to the computer.

“Absolutely positive. It’s not even being recorded for potential blackmail down the line, but that’s just because I didn’t want the girls getting a hold of it,” Annabelle said with a grin.

“We should feel really bad for this, right?” Kelly asked for a moment as she perched on arm of the chair and viewed down at the laptop on Annabelle’s lap.

“We should, but this is St. Trinian’s. I have a tradition to uphold.” Annabelle grinned at her girlfriend. “All snobby elitist people who enter this school get videotaped in the shower. It happened to me and now it’s his turn.” And with that the two women settled in and watched until there was a knock at the door. “Oh, and he’d just gotten the feathers off,” Annabelle muttered.

“I’ll get it,” Kelly said. She went to the door and saw Flash Harry standing there. “Oh. What do you want?”

Flash pulled out a dozen roses from behind his back and handed them too her. “I thought I’d come see if you wanted a second date.”

“Um…” Kelly said, at a loss for words. She turned to Annabelle but she was no help, as she was trying to suppress laughter. Then she turned back to Flash Harry. “Well, you see, I’m actually taken. My girlfriend was fine with one date to get information, but I don’t think she’d approve of a second.” Then she turned back to Annabelle. “Would you, Belle?”

“Oh, no, by all means, have a second date,” she said without looking up. “I’ll be here for a bit yet. He still has to get the glue out of his hair.”

“You…? And Annabelle…?” Flash Harry said, his eyes wide.

“Afraid so,” Kelly said with a smile. “Thank you so much for the flowers, though. They’re quite lovely.” He didn’t respond or move, only making small noises in the back of his throat, and after a few moments Kelly gently shut the door in his face. “These are beautiful flowers,” she said.

Annabelle couldn’t help the giggles that escaped. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. You just crushed his hopes and dreams.”

“I think I may have just given him new fantasies instead,” Kelly said with a smirk, setting the roses on Annabelle’s desk before going back to her. “Now, let’s get back to watching him get the glue out of his hair, shall we?”

“That’s sounds like a very good idea,” Annabelle said, smiling up at Kelly before turning back to the computer screen. In the first, and hopefully last, round of Sherlock Holmes versus St. Trinian’s, it looked as though the girls had come out on top, in more ways than one.


End file.
